Project Akaba allows designers to tell the computer the design goal and it comes up with a number of solutions.
Autodesk is working on a new rules-based cloud design technology called Project ‘Akaba’. Instead of telling the computer to draw geometry it allows designers to tell the computer what the end goal should be and let it come up with a number of solutions.
Project Akaba allows users to input a range of rules and constraints, like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, energy usage, amount of light per room, minimum square footage of each room, site boundaries etc, which all compete. Akaba will then generate the geometry and arrangements that solve the brief. The designer is able to select the one which is most appealing and then iterate again or detail or massage the design.
Project Akaba has a very clean interface with an entry point for Goals, and Project criteria, using sliders. The main display shows an array of solutions organised by score of meeting the initial design goal.
From what AEC Magazine has seen this really is exciting stuff. Autodesk has similar plans for Urban-level city planning tools.
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